(The Eagle brand has been an underrated member of the Chrysler clan
since it came on line in 1987. Matt Hagin thinks that the new Eagle
Talon is unsuitable for a family and his dad agrees. "It's a sports
car," says Bob Hagin, "and it covers the field from mild to wild.")

BOB - The Eagle Talon is a niche car that's too "special" for most
buyers, especially if they want to carry anything bigger than an
overnight bag and a tooth brush. It's a sports car, plain and simple,
and appeals to the driver who wants to be a couple of notches ahead of
the "commuter corps" of four-door sedan chauffeurs. It's brash and boppy
but it isn't going to appeal to anybody who plans to do much double-
dating. The back seat is a good place to carry groceries except that
getting in and out of it is a task best left to the young and agile.

MATT - And this Base model Talon is the one that's best suited to
young first-time new car sports car buyers, Dad. Its profile is the
high-tail, high beltline look that's common with modern sports coupes
and it's nose is low and assertive-looking. It could do without the
superfluous "spoiler" on the trunk lid since it doesn't serve any
purpose except to get in the way when it's time to wash the car. All the
Talon coupes have the same body and it's just a matter of performance
options that differentiates the Base model from the hot-rod TSi
versions. The top of the Talon line is the turbocharged TSi all-wheel-
drive model that puts out 210 horsepower and handles like a Le Mans race
car, so its suspension is more performance tuned. Our Base Talon carries
the 2.0 liter twin-cam four cylinder Chrysler engine that puts out 140
horsepower and 130 pound/feet of torque, which makes the car peppy
enough for decent acceleration. Sometimes, however, it takes a bit of
clutch-slipping and practice to get the shifting technique down. Unless
a buyer is determined to get the last ounce of performance out of it, I
think that the four-speed automatic is the best bet.

BOB - I don't think that it would affect the fuel mileage much,
either. The Talon gets an extra bit of mileage out of its slippery
profile Matt, since it carries a low 0.29 coefficient of drag. The
suspension is fairly sophisticated, too, with double wishbone control
arms and a half-inch sway bar up front and a multi-link system in back
with coil springs. It's front-wheel drive, of course, and the power
steering is engine-speed variable which tightens up a bit at speed to
give better road-feel. The TSi versions have disc brakes in back, but
our Base model was equipped with drum brakes in the rear. I'd prefer
discs in the rear myself and I'm a little disappointed that anti-skid
brakes aren't even offered as an option on this model.

MATT - I can understand the seats being manually-operated since this
is the entry-level model but I guess that I've been spoiled by powered
outside mirrors. The driver has to reach across the passenger's seat to
adjust the right outside mirror so I guess that our Talon was built to
be a one-driver car. And maybe I drove too many "beaters" in my earlier
days, Dad. I'm never happy with those tinker-toy spare tires, I like a
full-sized spare tire and wheel in the trunk and according to the info
packet we got from Chrysler, none of the Talon models have full-sized
spare tires, not even the superfast TSi with all-wheel-drive.

BOB - Nothing's perfect, Matt, and I know that you feel that the
interior of the Talon is cramped, but I like the sports car "feel" of a
tight driver's position. The seats have good side support and give the
driver and passenger a secure feeling. The round tach and speedometer
are right in front of the driver and the rest of the controls are on a
control panel that blends down into the center console. The car we had
carried a pretty basic sound system, but for true sound buffs, Eagle has
a selection of units as long as your arm. But there's a modern item that
was missing from the Base model Talons: the ever-present cup holder that
are not available on the base models. I never thought I'd say it, but I
find it hard to drink coffee and drive without having a cup holder.

MATT - In retrospect, Dad, maybe the guys over at Chrysler are
trying to tell you something.